Shoe press



July 28, 1936. W. CARD, JR 2,049,048

SHOE PRESS I yFiled Junel 27, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l #su HN wr 10 ig l115f 17 INVEN-roR ATTORNEY July 28, 1936. w. c. CARD` JR 2,049,048

SHOE PRESS Filed June 27, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

129 {ff/125 v ATTORNEY A Patented July 28,' 1936 SHGE PRESS ApplicationJune 27, 1933, Serial No. 677,809

8 Claims.

This invention relates to-presses for use in the manufacture of shoesand more particularly to presses which are utilized in aiilxing outersoles to lasted uppers by means of an adhesive cement.

A general object of the invention is to. provide an improved form ofpress in which the shoe may be clamped with a minimum expenditure oftime and effort on the part of the operator and which is adaptedsecurely to hold in position and apply pressure to lasted shoes ofAvaried sizes.

More particularly, objects of the invention are to provide a shoe presshaving an inflatable pressure applying pad and supporting means locatedthereover for holding a shoe in clamped position against the pad,wherein the supporting means is adapted to be kept in a xed positionduring the loading and pressing operations so that pressure is appliedto the shoe sole by ination alone, and wherein the shoe supportingmeansv is capable of having its position varied with. respect to that ofthe inatable pad to compensate for extreme variations in the lastdimensions employed, even, for example, such as those encountered whenhandling adults', chldrens and babies shoes on the same press.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a press possessing theabove and other advantageous features which is simple and sturdy inconstruction and efficient in operation.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in partappear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction,combination of elements, and arrangement of parts, which will beexemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope ofthe application of which will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention,reference should be had to the following detailed description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation of a shoe press embodying features of thepresent invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken substantiallymedially through the heel post portion of the press and substantiallyalong line 2-2 of Fig.3;

Fig. 3 is anvertical transverse sectional view taken along line 3-3 ofFig. l;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of another form of shoe press embodyingfeatures of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially alongline 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a housing member used in themodification shown in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 7 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially alongthe line l--l of Fig. 4. In my copending application Serial No. 522,738,there is described and claimed an improved form of press adapted to beused for cement-affixing outer soles to uppers. press there showncomprises a base member containing an inflatable pad and having a rigidbow member extending thereover and preferably cast integrally therewith.This bow member iixedly carries toe and heel posts which are adapted `tobear on the upper part of a lasted shoe. The inatable pad there used isof special design and is capable of unusual vertical displacement. Whenoperating such a press, variations in employed last sizes arecompensated for by inflation alone, there being no opening and closingor other positional adjustment ofthe toe and heel post, such as wascharacteristic of the presses theretofore used.

The presently described press preserves these advantageouscharacterstics as to quick and easy loading and operating, butinsteadrof having the toe and heel posts located in permanently fixedvertical positions, has one or both thereof located in what may betermed a semi-permanent position, with provision being made for alteringthis position when desired. Provision oi this last feature is especiallydesirable fri factory installations wherein the same press ls used inhandling shoes having extremely varied dimensional ranges, as when bothbabies7 and adults shoes are manufactured. With the present form ofpress, ordinary dimensional variations encounteredl with a given type ofshoemay be compensated for by inflation of the pad alone, withoutadjustment of the supporting means located above the pad, but when aseries of shoes of an entirely different type and dimension are to besubjected to sole afiixing operations, the shoe supporting means isgiven a new vertical location with respect to the pad.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, there is shown in Fig. l apress comprising a base I0, provided with a pad accommodating cavity I land with a rigid bow member I2 which preferably, though not necessarily,is cast integrally therewith. This bow member extends longitudinallyover the base and carries a suitably located toe post i3 which, in theembodiment here shown, is preferably cast integrally Vwith bow memberl2. Toe post i3 carries at its lower end an instep pad lll which may beformed of yield-v able rubber or the like. Also mounted on bow Thepreferred form of member I2 is a heel post |i5l terminating at its lowerend in an elongate last engaging se'at IG which is adapted to bear uponthe top heel portion of any one of a number of interchangeable lasts.During a given loading and pressing operation the toe and heel posts areadapted to be kept xed above the base Ill, and pressure is applied tothe shoe sole through inflation alone. To this end, there is 'preferablylocated in pad cavity an inflatable pad I1 which preferably possessesthe characteristic features of the vertically expansible inflatable paddescribed in the above mentioned copending application Serial No.522,738.

Such a pad comprises an inflatable rubber bladder (not shown) having itsinterior in communication with a. lcombined air inlet and outlet passageI8 equipped at its outer end with a valve I9 which is adapted to be usedfor both inflating and deiiating purposes. The inflatable bladder isconfined in a suitable casing, such as leather, and this casingpreferably has a pronouncedly full or baggy upper diaphragm. Thisfullness is accentuated at the middle portion of the pad opposite theshank portion of the shoe, and the casing also preferably has side wallsor gussets having an increased height at this middle portion, all asmore particularly described and claimed in application Serial No.522,738. For the purposes of the present invention, it will beunderstood that there is provided a. pad which is capable of sufficientvertical displacement properly to care for variations in employed lastsizes so long as this variation is not of an excessive order.

Returning now to the heel post |5, there is provided means for locatingsuch post in one of several vertical positions. To this end, the post isslidable in a vertical bore 2|) passing through an enlargement 2| castin the web portion of bow member I2. A pin 22 is passed transverselythrough post I5 below the bow member I2, and is freely rotatable in thepost. Fixedly keyed to this pin for rotation therewith are a pair .ofidentical cams or ller blocks 23 and 24. These are mounted on oppositesides of post I5 and each has a plurality of corresponding abutmentfaces 25, 26, 21, and 28. Each of these faces is located a diiferentperpendicular distance from the axis of pin 22, and each is adapted tobe successively seated in abutting contact against corresponding seatportions 29 on the under side of the bow member enlargement 2|. It willbe seen that the vertical position of pivot pin 22 and, consequently, ofheel post I5 depends upon positioning of one or the other sets of camfaces against. abutment 29. Thus, if in Fig. 1 where the cam 23 is shownas having its face 25 abutting the under side of the bow member, the camwere given a quarter turn in a clockwise direction so that cam face 28were positioned against seat 29, it willbe seen that the position ofpost I5 will be considerably lowered. Intermediate positions betweenthese two extreme vertical positions are obtained through properpositioning of the remaining cam faces' 26 and 21. In order convenientlyto rotate pin 22 and its associated cams, a handle or lever 3|) isscrewed into an enlarged head onv one end of such pin. Twisting movementof post I5 about its own axis is prevented by the means of a downwardlyextending rib 3| on the under side of bow member I2. This rib is snuglyembraced by the opposed cams at all times.

The upper end of post I5 has detachably screwed thereto'an enlarged head32, between which and the bow member is located a compression spring 33,which tends normally to urge the heel post I5 in an upward direction andserves to maintain cams 23 and 24 constantly in contact with theircooperating abutments 29. This fhead 32 and spring 33 are preferablylocated in'a recess 34 which extends downwardly into enlargement 2|.

In operation, assuming the cams to be located as illustrated in Fig. 1,a lasted upper and an outer sole are assembled with adhesivetherebetween, and placed beneath toe pad I4 and heel seat member I6, thepad being at this time deated. The pad is then inflated, this inflationserving to expand the pad vertically su'iciently to take up any spacebetween the diaphragm and the shoe or between the shoe and its uppersupporting means vand to press the sole firmly against the lasted upperwhile pressing the entire shoe assembly securely against its supportingtoe and heel posts. Various sizes of adults shoes may conveniently beloaded and reloaded with theI press set in this manner. When it isdesired to handle lasts of markedly smaller sizes, the press while inunloaded condition is adjusted by giving the handle 3 0 one or morequarter turns so as properly to accommodate the vertical position ofheel seat I6 to the smaller sized lasts.

In Fig. 4 there is shown another form of press, wherein the heel post isvertically movable as in the preceding embodiment, and where, inaddition, the toe post is movable longitudinally of the -bow memberbetter to accommodate extremely small lasts. The press as illustrated inthis figure comprises a base IIII, having a pad cavity II in which islocated a pad I |1 which preferably is similar in construction to thatused in the previously described embodiment. A longitudinal bow member II2 is iixedly and preferably integrally carried over base I0. Near theforward end of the bow member is fastened a ytoe post ||3 having arubber instep pad ||4 ailixed to-its lower end. At the front the bowmember I|2 is'shown to be of. an I-beam cross section, including a lowerhorizontal web 35. The upper end of toe post ||3 is provided with agroove 36 having overhanging flanges 31 which overlie web 35 and,together with groove 36, form a slidable l ed to be screwed intoposition on the under side ofweb 35 and in front of an enlarged portion46 of the-bow member casting. Post ||5 fits snugly within the sidewallssof housing 4| and between the front wall 42 of this ,housing andthe front face 43 of enlargement 46.

The vertical position of heel post |15 is controlled by means-of a camor filler block |23 whichris positioned between the forks 39 and 40 andis keyed by means of a set screw to a transverse pivot pin |22 which isfreely rotatable inl suitable registered openings -in the upper ends offorks 39 and 40. The cam is located between these forks as illustrated,and is provided with a plurality of cam faces |25, |23, |21 and |28,which are located at different perpendicular distances from pivot pin|22 and which are adapted 75 successively to be brought into abuttingseating contact against the under faces ofbow member web 35. The totaldistance between any two opposed cam faces, such as and |21, is equal tothe total distance between the opposed cam faces |26 and |28, andcorresponds to the distance between the cam contacting abutment |29 andthe lower edge of housing 4|,.and also to the horizontal distancebetween the forward face of wall 43 and the rearward face of wall 42.The cam and its associated post ||5 are thus adapted to be snugly ttedinto housing 4I with the cam in any one o-f several positions. Aretaining strap 44 is adapted to be screwed in place beneath housing 4|and below cam |23, to prevent the latter from dropping by gravity whenthe press is in unloaded condition, and to hold the cam snugly in placewithin the housing. The cam may be adjusted to a new position in orderto vary the vertical height of post ||5, either by removing thisretaining strap and removing and re-inserting the post and cam assemblyin housing |4|, or by removing the entire housing and its appurtenantparts as a unit and re-attaching it to the press frame after alteringthe cam position. Since this adjustment need not be made for each pressloading operation, but only at infrequent intervals when it is desiredto handle an entirely diiferent type of shoe, no undue inconvenienceattends upon alteration of the cam position,v the location of the heelpost being of a semi-permanent nature. In order to facilitate control ofthe cam while it is having its position adjusted in the housing, anouter end of pivot pin |22 is provided with a handle |30, and the sidesof housing 4| are suitably slotted or coped as at 45 to accommodate thetransverse pivot pin in any of its several positions.

In operation of this form of press, when lasts of larger sizes are beinghandled, the heel seat` ||6 will assume its uppermost position, and toepost ||3 will be locked in its foremost position as illustrated indotted lines in Fig. 5. With these parts thus xed in position on theshoe press frame, the press may be repeatedly loaded and unloaded in themanner described in connection with the rst modication. When anextremely small shoe, such as the baby shoe indicated in full lines inFig. 5, is to be handled, the toe post H3 and heel seat HB are shiftedto the full line position shown in Fig. 5, and the press may thereafterbe successively loaded with shoes of this smaller type, clamping of theshoe being cared for by inflation alo-ne. The best results will beattained by confining the design of this press to babies and childrensshoes, with a maximum capacity for shoes of about the equivalent ,ofsize 21/2 in the womens range. However, it will be understood that theparticular dimensions of any press embodying the herein disclosedstructural 'features are optional, and the appended claims are intendedto cover any suitable size range, wherever the context permits.

The first described form of. press shown in Fig. l is primarily intendedfor operations on lasts of a given category, say womens lastsexclusively. To this end the toe post may be immovable, as illustrated,and the contour of cams 23 and 24 is preferably such as to care formaterial diierences encountered among various womens lasts. However, itwill be understood that this form of press (Fig. l) may, if desired, beequipped with a movable toe post such as that shown in the press of Fig.4, and/or the cams thereof may be designed to cover a more extensiverange,

so that babies', chlldrens and-misses sizes may be handled as well asadults.

It will be seen that there has been provided a structure which isadmirably suited to fulll the intended functions.

From the above description it will be understood that certain featuresof the present invention may be utilized in connection with varioustypes of presses used in the manufacture and repair of footwear.Therefore, while for reasons of convenience the illustrated embodimentsof the invention have been confined to preferred types of sole-affixingprocesses, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited tothese types or to use in sole-affixing operations as distinguished fromsole-laying or sole-leveling operations. Since certain changes may bemade in the above construction and different embodiments of theinvention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it isintended that all matter contained in the above description or shown inthe accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and notin a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended tocover all of the generic and specific features of the invention hereindescribed, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as amatter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is:

l. A shoe press comprising a base member having an inflatable pad, andsupporting means for bearing on the upward face of a lasted shoeasscmbly, said supporting means including an abutment immovably locatedover said base, a heel post vertically movable with respect to saidabutment, and a cam movably carried by said post and adapted to seatagainst said abutment, said cam being movable to plurality of positionsto determine the height of said post with respect to said abutment.

2. A shoe press comprising a base member having an inflatable pad andshoe supporting means located thereover, said means including anabutment immovably positioned over said base, a heel post verticallymovable with respect to said abutment, and means for adjusting theheight of said post comprising a rotatable cam interposed between saidabutment and post. y

3. A shoe press comprising a base member having an inflatable pad andshoe supporting means located thereover, said means including anabutment immovably positioned over said base, a heel post verticallymovablewith respect to said abutment, a pin carried by said post, acarrirnounted on said pin and rotatable about the axis thereof, said camhaving a plurality of faces located at dierent distances from said pin,and means for rotating said cam to present any one of said faces inabutting relation with saidabutment.

4. A shoe press comprising a base member having an inflatable pad, arigid bow member amxed to said base, and shoe supporting means includinga heel post vertically movable with respect to said bow member, a pincarried by said post, and a cam rotatably mounted on said pin.y andhaving a plurality of faces adaptedselectively to abut said bow memberto control the height of said post with respect thereto.

`5. A shoe press comprising a base member having an inflatable pad, arigid bow member aiilxed to said base, and shoe supporting meansincluding a toe post and a heel post independently carried by the saidbow member, said heel post being vertically movable with respect to saidbow member, spring means urging said post upwardly, and a filler blockinterposed between said post and said bow member to limit upwardmovement of the post, the vertical position of said post beingdetermined by the effective thickness of said block.

6. A shoe press comprising a base member having an inflatable pad, arigid bow member affixed to said base, and shoe supporting meansincluding a heel post vertically movable with respect to said bowmember, a cam pinned to said post and having a plurality of facesadapted selectively to abut said bow member to limit upward movement ofsaid post, and means holding said post against downward movement.

'7. A shoe press comprising a base member havl ing an inflatable pad, arigid bow member aflixed to said base, and shoe supporting meansincluding a hollow housing associated with said bow member, a, heel postand an associated cam vertaining means for holding said post againstdownward movement.

8. A shoe press comprising a base member having an inatable pad, a rigidbow member integrally carried by said base member, a toe post integrallycarried by said bow member. a heel post'slidably carried by said bowmember, and means including a cam interposed between said bow member andheel post for varying vthe height of the latter.

C. CARD, Jn.

